Paisley wants Sinn Féin frozen out

Ian Paisley today insisted Sinn Féin had ruled itself out of the Northern Ireland political process as a result of the IRA's alleged involvement in last month's £26m Belfast bank robbery.

The Democratic Unionist party leader called for the restoration of the province's suspended political institutions, but for Sinn Féin to be excluded from them, saying that he was not willing to enter into any discussions with a party linked to a group which continued to take part in criminal activity.

Last week a new crisis in the peace process was sparked when Hugh Orde, Northern Ireland's chief constable, said he believed the Provisional IRA was involved in the raid on the Northern Bank.

Mr Paisley told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "The agreement we came together to reach was that if anybody broke the rules and was not prepared to stick to peace, instead of paramilitary activity, they would automatically go out of the process.

"I think the IRA have put themselves out of the process. I think that the two governments have got to get the train out of the station. As the IRA/Sinn Féin have put themselves out of the train, the train must go on and we must get our government back here in Northern Ireland."

The DUP is currently the largest party in Northern Ireland, having won 26% of the vote at the last assembly election. Mr Paisley said he accepted that others who were elected by voters were entitled to hold office, whether or not he agreed with their principles.

But he added: "I cannot hold office with them if they are engaging in violence or criminal activity and are prepared to try to tie in democracy with bombing and killing and murdering. Until the IRA stop murdering, killing and all criminal activities, I can't discuss anything with them at all."

Mr Paisley conceded that the DUP and Sinn Féin were close to an agreement at the end of last year to allow the restoration of the institutions, but again insisted that the row over photographic evidence of arms decommissioning had been the fault of the IRA.

"If the IRA had kept the word that we were told they were giving to the British government, I think there would have been a deal," he said. "But of course they reneged and withheld photographic proof. They backed out - it wasn't the DUP that backed out."